Body support and cover clamp for vacuum cleaners



Sept. 29, 1953 P. BOININ Er 2,653,342

BODY SUPPORT AND COVER-CLAMP FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Feb. 8. 1951 v 2Sheets-Sheet l Inventors: Pierre Bonin, Xavier Ranch-la,

Their Attorney.

Sept. 29, 1953 B l AL 2,653,342

BODY SUPPORT AND COVER CLAMP FOR VACUUM CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. 8, 1951 Fig. 1 Pg. 5.

Inverwtors: Pierre Bonin, Xavier- Ranch-Ia,

Their Attorney.

Patented Sept. 29, 1953 BODY SUPPORT AND COVER CLAMP FOR VACUUM CLEANERSPierre Benin and Xavier Randria, Paris, France,

assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkApplication February 8, 1951, Serial No. 209,998 In France February 16,1950 Claims.

The present invention relates to a domestic vacuum cleaner, of theconventional sleigh-type. such offers the following advantages and novelfeatures:

The sleigh runners are used for locking the end cap on the cleaner, forprotecting it against impacts, and also as a handle.

When the vacuum cleaner has been opened to empty the bag, the runners,because of their particular shape, act as a hinged support so that whenthe cleaner body is in a vertical position, it will be stable, therunners acting as a buttress or support.

After use the vacuum cleaner body can be placed upright and resting onits rear and on the runners, so that it will occupy less space than whenin operation; the power lead can be wound between cleaner body andrunners.

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of the invention, the vacuumcleaner resting on its runners; Fig. 2 shows the appliance resting onits rear part; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view at the moment thebag is to be removed, the Vacuum cleaner being vertical; Fig. 4 is anenlarged perspective View of a runner detail and of a fragment of thebody showing the hole in the shell for hinging the runner; Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a modification of a suction cleaner according to theinvention; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the suction cleaner of Fig. 5;Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the runner construction used with thecleaner of Figs. 1-3; Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a modified runnerconstruction with the front end forming the handle bent downwardly; Fig.9 is a perspective view of another modified runner construction made upof two section's, the front section serving as a locking lever for theend cap of the vacuum cleaner; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of acleaner equipped with the runner construction of Fig. 9.

The outside of the vacuum cleaner is a casing or body I within which isa dust bag 2, held in place by an end cap 3. A runner construction 4comprising a pair of runners to supports the casing or body.

The dust bag 2 is a conventional one; it is equipped with a rubber rim12 so as to insure tight fitting.

The end cap has a central hole 13 into which a ring 90 has been molded.A specially shaped recess 14 and two depressions or cavities 15 and 16have also been provided in the end cap. The bottom profile of cavitiesl5 and 16 has been designed so as to insure a certain progression in thepressure which the runners will exert on the 2 end cap as the runnersare moved to clamp the end cap in position on the end of body I. Thecavities serve also as vertical rests for the cleaner body when thedevice is in a horizontal position (Fig. l).

The runner construction 4 has a center part it which acts as handle; itsends l9 act as pivots; its parts constitute the runners, and finally thecurved parts of the runners, parts 8|, which can slide in the cavitiesi5 and 16 of the end cap, act as a locking device. Moreover, it protectsthe vacuum cleaner against impacts since it surrounds the device quiteextensively.

The ends 19 of the runners (Fig. 4) comprise a I sector element 82 theedges of which (83, 3%) act as stops to limit turning movement of therunner construction and body relatively to each other and thus insurethe vertical position of the body at the time the dust bag is beingemptied. Said edges 33, 84 abut against the edges 9! which have beenprovided in the plastic material within holes 35.

In a modification, one could insure the vertical position of the vacuumcleaner as in Fig. 3 by the arrangement represented in Figs. 5 and 6. Inthis case, the body I is provided with rear extensions which abutagainst two projections 96 that are fixed symmetrically to both sides ofthe runner construction. In case the body should fall forward towardsits horizontal position, a cradle 91 of suitable elasticity fastened tothe runner construction would catch said body and prevent its hittingthe floor.

The normal position of the vacuum cleaner when being used is that shownin Fig. 1, the body of the cleaner being supported in a horizontalposition on the'runners. The end cap 3 is held in place by the runners.To remove the dust bag the operator with one hand may hold the runnersstationary on the fioor by means of handle 18 and with the other handgrasps the cleaner body at the recess 14 in end cap 3 and turn the bodyon the pivot ends 19 to bring it to the vertical position shown in Fig.3, it being stopped in the vertical position by edges 9| in openings 36engaging the stop edges 84 on the runner ends 19. The bag 2 may be thenremoved as indicated in Fig. 3. After the bag has been emptied and itand the end cap replaced, the body may be pivoted back to the Fig. 1position. When the body is thus lowered, the parts 8| of the runnersslide into the depressions or cavities 15, 16 to again clamp the end capin place.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 represent modifications of the runner design whichhave the same general characteristics as those already outlined.

In the runner of Fig. 8, the front end 91 which acts as handle is bentdownward towards the floor.

The runner of Fig. 9 is made of two parts '92 and S3. The front part 82plays exactly the same role as the runners of Fig. 1, but it pivots onthe rear part 93, Fig. 10 shows it mounted on its suction cleaner.

Although only a few preferred embodiments have been represented in thisspecification, it is obvious that the invention is not limited to theseparticular embodiments, which are given only by way of non-limitingexamples. Consequently, all modifications which are based on the sameprinciple and which have the same purpose as the arrangements describedin the preceding paragraphs, are intended to come within the scope ofthe invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. A tank type vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow elongated body with anopen end, an end cap removably closing said open end, a pair of runnerspivotally secured at one end to said body near the end away from the capand supporting said body in spaced relation from a horizontal supportingsurface when in one pivoted position with respect to said body, saidrunners leasing said end cap and supporting said body vertically inspaced relation from the supporting surface.

2. In a tank type vacuum cleaner having an elongated body closed at oneend by a removable cap, that improvement comprising a runer assemblypivotally secured at one end with respect to said body and movable aboutan axis transverse to the body between a first position in which therunner assembly and the long axis of the body extend generally parallelto each other and a second position in which the assembly and body axisare at an acute angle to each other, the free end of said runnerassembly engaging said cap and holding it in place on said body whensaid runner assembly is in said first position, said runner assemblyreleasing said cap for removal when said assembly is moved to its secondposition.

3. In a tank type vacuum cleaner having an elongated body closed at one.end by a removable end cap, that improvement comprising a pair of bodysupporting runners pivotally secured at one end with respect to saidbody and movable about an axis transverse to the body between a firstposition in which the runners are generally parallel to the body forsupporting it in horizontal position and a second position in which therunners are away from the body for supporting it in vertical position,the free end of said runners extending to and releasably engaging saidend cap for holding it in place on said body when said runners are insaid first position, and a handle portion on said runners adjacent saidfree end of said runners for moving the runners simultaneously and forcarrying the cleaner.

4. In a tank type vacuum cleaner having an elongated body closed at oneend by a removable end cap, that improvement comprising a pair of bodysupporting runners each pivoted to the body at one end and movabletogether about an axis transverse to the body between one position inwhich each runner extends substantially the length of the body andparallel thereto and other positions in which each runner extends at anacute angle to the body, portions on said runners releasably engagingsaid end cap to hold it in place when said runners are in said oneposition and a handle joining said runners at their ends opposite theirpivoted ends for manipulating the runners and for carrying the cleaner.

5. In a tank type vacuum cleaner having an elongated body with an openend closed by a removable end cap, that improvement comprising a pair ofbody supporting runners each pivoted with respect to the body at the endopposite the open body end and movable together between a first positionin which each runner extends substantially parallel to the body forsupporting said body in a. horizontal position and a second position inwhich each runner extends substantially normal to the longitudinal axisof the body for supporting said body in a vertical position, bentportions near the free ends of said runners, said end cap having a pairof depressions therein removably engaged by said bent portions to holdsaid end cap in place when said runners are in said first position,stops li1n iting movement of said runners with respect to said bodytoward said second position for holding said cleaner vertical with itsopen end uppermost, portions on said runners engaging said cleanerreleasably holding them in said first position for supporting saidcleaner horizontally, and a transverse member integrally joining thefree ends of said runners, serving as a handle for manipulating therunners and for carrying the cleaner.

PIERRE BONIN. XAVIER RANDRIA.

References Cited in the file-of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,157,693 Ernolf May 9, 1939 2,210,471 Stevens Aug. 6, 19402,309,583 Frantz Jan. 26, 1943 2,335,031 Stevens Nov. 23, 1943 2,340,379Hahn Feb. 1, 1944 2,438,133 Sparklin Mar. 23, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 48,930 Netherlands July 15, 1940 283,173 GreatBritain Jan. 31, 1929 952,206 France Apr. 25, 1949

